Where did you grow up and when did you say to yourself: ‘’I want to be an Artist’’?I grew up in a small city in Israel. I was about 5 years old, when my dad asked me to fill a whole huge white page with flowers. I remember working really hard on it. My father was so proud, I think that was the trigger for me to keep doing it. Have you always been supported in your artistic path or has it been challenging to let your family and friends understand your choice?My family has always been supportive of my art with love and warm feedbacks.

What was the strongest influence you had when you were growing up ( artists, movies, cartoons, comics etc.. ) ?My biggest influence as a child came from Disney's "Fantasia" I remember watching it repeatedly all day long.

Did you have a favorite subject to draw when you were a child and do you still have one today? If you do, what makes it so special?As a child I always drew the type of women I wished to be. Today when I choose to draw a female character, It's coming from a feminist and self-conscious state of mind to create a character that I can say something through her, or she can tell me something new about myself.

What is your process in coloring your art and what type of tools and media do you use?I use Photoshop and TV PaintI'm always looking for new color approaches, but when I have to do something quick, and achieve good results, I begin with a high resolution document - as big as can be, because towards the end I always begin to think about other shapes and angles that might be better for my character (longer legs, bigger head etc..). That way when I twist, stretch and cut the image, The final result will not be affected. I put the colors on the quick sketch, as base, once I find all the color combinations I want, I begin to lay shadows, lights and back lights. shaping the details, add more interesting information like hair and highlights. once it is finished, I starts playing with the saturation and color balance, To get more precise color harmony.

What part of the creation process is the most fun and easy and what part is the hardest?The most difficult stage for me is starting, figuring out and making myself fall in love with an idea that it exciting and interesting enough to make me want to spend my day on it, once I have it, the fun begins. I love doing everything for an idea I believe in. The greatest pleasure for me happens when I get down to all the little details.

What are some of the things you have learned from other artists who you have worked with or whose work you have seen?In our industry, most of the people are cartoon lovers, which means that most are funny, friendly and very nice people. I met so many talented colleagues; Each and every one of them gave me countless tips. The biggest help was to see how different people work and all their different approaches. This really helps me finding my own way.

Is there something that you have designed that you are most proud of?I created concept art for "The Pope". That was the first time I designed a concept for an animated series, It was very exciting and the characters were hilarious, I had great fun working on that concept, you can check out "The Pope" concept art HERE

What is your longterm career goal and what would your dream project be?I'm a storyteller at heart, so making one short animated film a year will be a career goal. And the dream will be taking an important part in production of a big animated feature.

Working for a company or freelancing: what suits you best? And why?Overall, if I lived somewhere else freelance would be an awesome idea. In Israel the situation is not so easy for self-employed, The price of being independent is too heavy. The more they work the less they earn. They pay the most taxes, and receive no benefit. it is better to work as an employee and get suitable conditions such as days off, sick leave, insurance, maternity leave and such.

Concept art, animation, illustration, comics, there’s so many options to choose and when you’re young, sometimes the only thing you know is just that you love to draw: what should a young artist take into consideration to make the right decision when choosing an artistic path?This field is so wide, and it is very difficult to focus on one thing. I think they should experience everything that interest them and by elimination they will eventually be able to find out what suit them best. The best tip I got was to stop fighting unnecessary wars at areas I'm not good at, and to focus and develop the things I am good at. Many neglect what are good at because it's "too easy", but I think it's too easy just because you were probably born to do it.

Character Design References

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Since 2013, Character Design References has supported and inspired a new generation of artists. We share only the finest artworks, the best tutorials and the greatest animated shorts with an international community of over 500.000 artists, art enthusiasts and animation fans.